Life preserver



Patented ;May 20, '1 924.

FRANK GIUDIGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.-

LIFE PRESERVER.

I Application filed February 27, 1924. Serial l lo. 695,506.

To all whoib it may concern:.

1 Be it known that I, FRANK GIUDICE, a subect of the. King of Italy, residin at New ork city, in the county of New ork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life Preservers,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a life preserver, and has for its object to provide a device of such class, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, for supporting the wearer upright in water even though the wearer be unconscious, and further whereby a greater lifting power will be obtained thereby than that present in the types of life preservers now in general use.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a life preserver including a protecting element adapted to be secured to the front of the'bod 'of the wearer forprotection from jars an bumps, and further to provide the device with a pair of inflatable buoyant elements flexibly connected with the protecting element and constituting sustaining or lifting means for holding the wearer high in the water when the device is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide, his. manner as hereinafter set forth,

- a life preserver including a body protecting element and a pair of sustaining or lifting elements connected to the protecting element and capable of being shifted to the desired position where lifting is needed, and

further capable of being shifted by the wearer from front and rear to prevent them from hampering the wearer when the. device is in use.

.Further objects of the invention are to provide in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a life preserver, which is simple in its construction and arrangement, readily secured to and removed from the wearer, strong, durable, compact, thoroughly eflicient in its use, and comparatively inexpensive.tomanufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shownan embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings'wherein like reference character's. denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:'

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a life preserver, in accordance with this invention and with the elements thereof extended.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a life preserver when folded.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 1. v Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4, Figure 1.

A life preserver, in accordance with this invention, comprises a body protecting element, a pair of inflatable buoyant. elements constitutlng llftmg or sustaining means and flexibly connected with the body protecting element, and securing means for the body protectin element.

The b0 y protecting element consists of strip of wood 1, of the desired shape or of the desired length, width and thickness, and as illustrated by way of example the strip 1 is of oval contour but it is to be understood that it can be of any shape desired. The front and rearj of the strip 1 have secured thereto a series of spaced transversely extending metallic straps 2.-, In Figure 1, of the drawings, the back of the strip 1 is shown as provided with the is to be understood that the front of the strip 1 has a like arrangement of the straps 2. In Figuie '3 of the drawings, one of the straps 2 is shown upon the front of the straps 2, but it strip 1. The straps 2' are provided for reinforcing purposes and prevent the wood'from is secured, as at 15, the end of a neck band 6. Secured 'to one side of the band 3, at the thereof,- is a pair offlexible straps 7,

back

of substantial length and provided with dpenings 8. Secured to the other side of the band 3, at the back thereof, is a pair of flexible straps 9, each provided with a buckle 10. The straps 9 are of less length than the straps 7, and the latter are fixedly secured to the band 3, by the hold-fast. devices 11. The straps 9 are secured to the band 3 by the hold-fast devices 12. The straps 7 and 9 provide means for securing the )rotecting element to the front of the body 0 the wearer and when said element is in such position it protects the wearer from jars and bumps. The openings 8 in the straps 7, in connection with the buckles 10, provide an adjustable securing means for the protecting element.

When the protecting element is connected to the wearer, the neck band 6 is inserted over the head of the wearer and after the protecting element has been connected to the wearer by the neck band 6, it is fixedly secured in position by the straps 7 and 9.

A pair of inflatable bouyant elements is employed and said elements constitute sustaining or lifting means, and as each of said elements is of the same construction, but one will be described as the description of one will apply to the other. Each of said elements consists of a flexible outer casing 13, somewhat elliptical in contour and preferably constructed of canvas, but it is to be understood that the material from which the casing 13 is set up can be other than canvas, and arranged within the casing 13 is an inflatable resilient inner casing 14, provided with a valved air inlet tube 15 of known construction which extends through and projects from the casing 13. The valved air inlet tube 15 isarranged at the inner side of the element near the top thereof and carries a removable closure cap 16. The inflatable bouyant' elements are oppositely dis- I posed with respect to each other and each arranged at one side of the protecting ele ment.

The inflatable bouyant elements are generally referred to by the reference characters 17' and 18 and the outer casing of each of said elements has throughout opposed marginal portions 19 and 20, between which extend throughout opposed marginal portions 21, 22 of the casing 14.

The'element 17 is connected to one side of theprotecting element by a pair of flexible members 23, in the form of short length chains, but it is obvious that the members 23 can be set up of any suitable material.

' can be constructed of any suitable material.

The elements 17 and 18 when inflated, provide means for holding the wearer high in the waterwhen the device is used and furthermore the elements can be shifted to the desired position with respect to the wearer, to the point where lift is needed, and furthermore the buoyant elements can be shifted from front and rear so as not to hamper the wearer; The buoyant elements are of suitable size so as to obtain great lifting power and further when inflated will support the wearer in upright position even though the wearer be unconscious. 4

When the device is not used it can be folded in a compact manner as shown in Figure 2.

It is thought that the many advantages of a life preserver as hereinbefore referred to, can be fully understood, particularly in viewof the fact that the device is so set up that it will not only sustain the wearer or lift the wearer but will furthermore act as a protecting means for the body of the Wearer, and although the preferred embodiment of the invention is as illustrated and described, yet it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction can be had which will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

\Vhat I claim is 1 l. A life preserver comprising a protect ing element for the body of the wearer and including a strip of wood, transversely extending metallic reinforcing straps secured to both faces of said strip. a metallic reinforcing band inclosing the edges of said strip throughout, a pair of inflatable sustaining elements, chains connecting saidsustaining elements to the sides of said band, and. means connected to said band for securing the protecting element to the bodyof the wearer. I

2-. A life preserver comprising a protect ing element for the body of the wearer and including a strip of wood, transversely extending metallic reinforcing straps secured to both faces of said strip, a metallic rein forcing band iilclosing the edges of said strip throughout, a pair of inflatable sus-. taining elements, chains connecting said sustaining elements to the sides of said band. means connected to said band for securing the protecting element to the body'of the wearer, and a neck band secured to the upper end of said band.

3. A life preserver comprising a wooden protecting element for the body of the wearer and provided with metallic reinforcing and protecting means, an inflatable sustaining element arranged at each side of theprotecting element, a pair of flexible members for connecting each inflatable element to the protecting element, and means carried by the protecting element for detachahly secnring it to the body of the wearer. v

4. A life preserver comprising a Wooden protecting element for the body of the wearmean 01 er and provided with metallic reinforcing it to the body (If the wearer, and a neck and protecting means, uninflatabie sustziinband secured is the upper end of the proing element arranged at each side of the iecting element. 10

protecting element, a pair of-flexible meni- In testimony whereof, I afiix my signw i 5 bars for connecting each inflatable element to ture hereto.

the protecting element, means carried by the protecting element for detachabiy securing FRANK GIUDICE, 

